When the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) began, the entire region was ruled by the Xiongnu, a powerful nomadic people that ruled the territory from western Manchuria to the Pamirs and covered most of Siberia and Mongolia. During the 2nd century BC, Han China sent Zhang Qian, an imperial envoy, to the states in the region. They tried to rule the nomads by offering princesses, gold, and silk, but Xiongnu raids continued. Zhang Qian's visit began several decades of conflict between the Xiongnu and Han China over the dominance of the region. Xiongnu formed a confederation under a ruler known as Chanyu, and the great wall was built by the Hans to hold of attacks from the Xiongnu, attacks were slowed but still continued. Han China sent several expeditions into Central Asia and gained control about 112 B.C. The dependent states of the Hans later rebelled during the rule of Wang Mang, a Han Dynasty official who seized the throne from the Liu family and founded the Xin Dynasty, and the region fell under Xiongnu rule again. Over the next century, Han China sent several expeditions into the region and re-established the empire. After the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 AD, the Wei Dynasty maintained the territory until 265 AD, and by the Western Jin Dynasty from 265 AD onward.
Zhang Qian leaving around 130 BCE, for his expedition to Central Asia.
The Gupta Empire (320 to 550 CE) in India was one of the world's great classical civilizations, who at its hight contained much of northern India. The empire was marked by amazing advances in arts, literature and sciences. The Gupta Empire faced constant threats of invasion from the north. Among the most troublesome of the invaders were the White Huns, who were an agricultural people with a district set of laws, who have been described as short, of Mongolian appearance and white skinned. Although it is not known wether or not they were truly related to other Hun groups. The White Huns began pouring down from the steppes of Central Asia and in 470 they attacked the center of the civilization and overthrew the Gupta Empire. White Hun rulers were seen as terrible tyrants. Though they continued ruling until 528, they were finally driven out by a Hindu coalition of princes of Gupta origin. The Guptas were greatly affected by this invasion, and declined over the next decades. While the White Huns were in India they did affect society such as that they altered the caste system and disrupted the hierarchy of ruling families.
The White Huns were nomadic people who grew to gain power in central Asia.
Romans viewed themselves as "civilized" and anyone outside of their borders as "barbarians." The tribes to the north of the Rhine and Danube rivers provided the greatest threats and much of the Roman military resources were used in their defense against them. Romans wanted peace with the Barbarians, they protected them while pushing then to limit their warfare. But there were still very many battles and wars between the Romans and their barbarian neighbors.Trade with these peoples was evident, especially with the Celtic people. These barbaric people outside of Rome's borders were ruled by elite families, and it has been said that they would at times go to Caesar to ask for help in how to rule. Elite families would even at times receive Roman support. But the Romans did conquer many areas around their borders to make their territory larger and improve trade routes to the Mediterranean.
Carving of a battle between Romans and barbarians.
Persepolis: This city was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire in present day Iran. It was founded in by Darius I in 518 B.C. There is proof of Darius being the founder after the discovery of an inscription on the southern terrace face. This city was built on a huge artificial/natural terrace. There are two great stair cases leading up to it. The king of kings could create a Mesopotamian based palace complex here. There was a lot of work building as for it had to be carved out a mountainside with irregular shapes and lots of filling in had to be done. It contained many “gigantic winged bulls” large halls, gate ways and many enormous columns. Alexander the great burned down the city in 330 and it is said that its reassure had to be carried out from 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels. Persepolis functioned as the seat of governmen
Persepolis Ruins
t but also as a centre for shows and festivals. The population is estimated in the thousands. It was administered through the king since it was a palace. Trade was mainly with its vast precious metals and gold. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/114
Chang’an: Chang’an was viewed as the one of the greatest capitals of china due to its centralized location. It became a center for Buddhist learning. According to Richard B Matherford it was the most populous cosmopolitan and civilized city in the world. It took up about 84 square kilometers with 1 million inhabitants. It was a major religious center. It had over 300 Buddhist temples, and some examples of buildings include the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Further north is the famous terracotta warriors. This is the city where Qin Shi Huang Di held his imperial court. The city has a 26 kilometer long wall surrounding the city
Terracotta Army north of Chang' An
complete with a moat. 12 gates provided entrance to the city. The city was an irregular rectangle and the city square resembled the big dipper. It contained 9 districts with 160 wards with 50-100 families within. It also contained inner and outer cities along with suburbs all around. http://www.pitt.edu/~asian/week-10/week-10.html#1
Paliputra: is an ancient city found in India which served as capitals through Muaryan to the Gupta dynasties. It’s located at the convergences of the Ganges, Son and Gandhaka rivers. Most of the city today is underneath modern Patna but its construction was mainly wooden. It was shaped as a parallelogram 9 miles long 1.5 miles wide. 64 gates lined the wooden wall surrounding the city. These walls were said to be converted to stone in Ashokas time. It is said that Buddha himself walked through Paliputra. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. IN the third century it is said to have 150000-300000 inhabitants. Many Indian temples are located here and one can visit the banks of the Gupta River. Patan Devi is located here and is one of the oldest buildings in Patna ( Paliputra). http://www.biharheritagewalk.com/patna
Temple in Putna(Paliputra)
Athens: Athens was the great Capital of Greece. Mostly recognized by its Parthenon atop the acropolis, it was the site of great amounts of history. It contained the largest navy, democracy and beautiful architecture. The temples of Poseidon and Hephaestus still remain though in ruins. Athens was said to be ruled by kings until democracy arose. in Athens was first settled atop the acropolis making for a very defendable spot overlooking the plains. Total amount of people including citizen’s non citizens and slaves was estimated 300000-500000. The cities trade center traded wine pottery metals olive products and grains.
Carthage: Carthage is located in modern day Tunisia along the coast of the Mediterranean in North Africa. The city had 23 miles of walls on the shore making sea invasion very difficult. In the middle of the city stood the Byrsa or citadel and Carthage also contained an immense necropolis. This allowed them to control a lot of the trade. Carthage was the capital of obviously the Carthaginians who constantly fought with the Romans. After conquer by the Romans its populations peaked at 500000-750000. They traded African gold and salts for all the products available in the Mediterranean. http://www.ancient.eu.com/carthage/
The City of Carthage
Rome: Rome was the capital city of the Roman Empire and now Italy. It was the center of Christianity including St, Peter basilica and the Vatican City. Rome also included the coliseum and Fontana de Trevi. Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill. Rome hugs the Tiber River and was walled to prevent invasions. Rome was split into 14 districts. During its height it contained about 1 million inhabitants. Rome was ruled by an emperor after its republic period. Rome conquered the lands of the Mediterranean coast. Rome was Trade center as for it was the capital of the Mediterranean. http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome
Roman Colosseum
Alexandria: Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in what is now Egypt. It was meant to be the link between Greece and the Nile River. The city was divided up into three quarters. The Rhakotis was the Egypt section, Brucheum the Greek and Jewish portion which was the north of the city. After 1 A.D. the population is estimated at 500000-1000000 including slaves and citizens. Principal structures include the Temple of Taposiris Magna, Pompeii’s Pillar and The Great theatre. http://www.ancient.eu.com/alexandria/
Sphinx carved out of pink limestone in Alexandria
Constantinople: Constantinople is located in present day turkey. It served as the capital for Rome and the Ottoman Empire. Its original name comes from Roman Emperor Constantine the great but was later changed to Byzantium. It populations varied greatly but from Justinian the First reign Constantinople’s population reached 500000 people. Constantinople was walled with Theodosian walls. The great Hagia Sophia is located here along with many other temples churches and sites. http://www.ancient.eu.com/Constantinople/
Hagia Sophia in Constantinople
Teotihuacan: Teotihuacan is located north of Mexico City and was a pre Columbian Meso-American city. It contained many great pyramids like the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Its populations were said to 125000, the largest city in the new world. It was a center of industry for crafters and jewelers. Teotihuacan was administered through priests and Rulers. The archeological site is more about 83 square miles big.
The pyramid of the Moon
The Great Cities created by Daniel Flores
E) PERSIAN EMPIRES
Achaemenid Empire:
Golden plate from the Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire(c. 550–330 BCE), also known as the Persian Empire, was the largest empire in ancient times. Under the rule of Cyrus the Great, it spanned over the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe and included much of what is now Iran,Afghanistan,Pakistan, parts ofCentral Asia,Turkey, much of theBlack Sea coastal regions,Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,Israel,Lebanon,Syria, Egypt and as far west asLibya. They were considered to be enemies of the Greek during the time of the Greco-Persian Wars. The empire was ruled by an Emperor and bureaucratic organization that was very centralized. The empire also had a very large army. The style of ruling was later mimicked by later civilizations. This empire fell with the invasion of Alexander III of Macedon and separated into several smaller empires such as the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Seleucid Empire.
(Golden plate from the Achaemenid Empire)
Parthian Empire:
After Alexander of Macedon’s death, his successor, Seleucus I established the Seleucid dynasty. While the Seleucids faced Alexander of Macedon’s successors, a seminomadic group of people, the Parni, began to move and invade land.When they reached the edge of the Seleucid empire in the distric of Parthia, they launched an invasion leaded by Arsaces. They became known as the Parthians after they succeeded in this conquest and they instituted a dynastic era in 247 B.C. Rulers took the name of Arsaces as a royal title. The Parthians grew into the dominant power in the Near East through series of wars against the Seleucids, Romans, and the Greco-Bactrian. They established the city of Ctesiphon, near the Tigris river. The Parinthian kingdom lasted almost half a millennium until they were overthrown by Sasanian armies from southwest Iran in the early third century A.D.
(Remains of the Parthian Empire)
Sassanid Empire:
The Sassanid empire consisted of mostly the same territory as that of the Achaenemids and kept the original capital of Ctesiphon. The Sassanids were known for a centralized government, technological and agricultural innovations, and the effort to bring Iranian culture back while surpressing Greek culture. Sassanid rulers were known as shahanshah, meaning king of kings. Under the shahanshah, people were divided into a rigid social system divided into four lower clasess- religious rulers, warriors secretaries, and common people.
The royal princes, petty rulers, great landlords, and priests together constituted a privileged stratum, and the social system appears to have been fairly rigid.Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the empire and it helped reinforce the social system and the governmental system.
(A rock relief at Naqsh-e Rostam, depicting the triumph of Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian, and Philip the Arabian.)
REGIONS WHERE RULERS CREATED ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS China: When the Han Dynasty arose, it kept the Qin dynasty’s administrative structure, but wasn’t as centralized. Civil service examinations were established as a means of training and teaching scholars how to work in the bureaucratic administrative institutions. Intellectual, literary, and artisti c innovations flourished and were revived. Technological advances such as paper and porcelain made China an important party to trade with during this time period. The Han dynasty was more ethnically united. Part of this was because of the strong influence of the centralized state, even though the government never directly controlled the villages. The average commonor was illiterate and was ignorant of details of how the state was run, but was aware of belonging to a whole, large community to which he was important. People from every social class were able to identify themselves as being Han and with the impressive history that came along with being Han. Pea http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/China1.htmlsants saw the emperor and administrative bureaucracy as being the normal way of ruling. Scholar and officials were highly respected, and everyone had a chance of passing the civil service examination and becoming an official, although higher class students had a greater chance. (Civil Service Examinations)
Persia:
Under the Rule of Darius (521-486 BCE) the Persian Empire was extended to the east and west. He centralized his administration and built a new capital in Persepolis. Darius became an important administrator which became increasingly difficult due to far apart empires and various different languages spoken throughout the vast land. Historians view Darius as more of an important administrator than conqueror because administrating a large empire was much more difficult than conquering it. Persian rulers estsablished lines of communication and designed organizations that would make it less difficult for them to tax their people and administer territories. The government depended on balance between central initiative and local administration. Darius divided his land into twenty three districts governed by sstraps. The Persian pioneered techniques that outlasted their dynasty and empire and influenced other empires around the world.
(Stone Carving found in Persia)
Rome: omans administrated their empire by splitting it up into various provinces. Romas left local self administration to the Greeks, although the approval of Roman official was required in every decision made by the Greek administrative institute. In Greek speaking regions of the Roman Empire, the institutions were based on historical traditions of those places. Romans did change of the aspects of administration and government of the Greeks, but never tried to get rid of their way of governing completely. In Athens, the agora continued to be the centre of c ivic and political life. The different Greek institutions continued to function and later provided cultural basis for the Byzantium Empire.
(Coin from the Roman Empire)
South Asia:
King Ashoka strengthened the administrative system and established the structural foundation that is still used in South Asia administration. Ashoka divide the original administrative divisions into districts and regions. These districts were further subdivided several times until they reached the village subdivision. There were different classifications in workers of the administrative institution to perform administrative work. South Asia became more and more decentralized as time went on, especially under Gupta rule, when almost all governmental institutions were ended. When the Mughal Empire took over most of South Asia, a very centralized government highly dependent of its military came along with them. This was very different for the usually decentralized subcontinent. The rulers of the Mughal Empire were thought to be direct decendants of Chinggis Khan, so most of his legacies were carried on in this Empire. It is thought that some of the administrative institutions that are in use today in South Asia come from the Mughal way of governing. Mughal administration revolved around the monarch.The administrative structure of this period was mostly made by Emperor Akhbar. He combined the military and civil services of the Empire. (South Asian coins)
Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. "The Parthian Empire (247 B.C.–224 A.D.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline ofArt History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/part/hd_part.htm (October 2000)
CRISTINA CARREON Methods to produce food and reward elites for their royalty: Corvee: unpaid labor that was controlled by a king or someone in charge of the system of labor. This included work on the lord's portion of manorial property (tillage of certain lands) and many attendant duties. Military service was also a part of the corvee. During the feudalization of the late Roman Empire, the corvee system was part of the social and economic system, but towns were able to free themselves by money payment instead of services. http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/corvee.html#ixzz2ssHr3dD4
Slavery: People were traded and forced to work. Most slaves helped with the production of crops and they were one of the contributors of food production.
Peasant Communities: There were many peasant villages on being the village of Taitu. This village had many independent slaves. The land they lived on was privately owned and the families would live there.
Problems Along the Frontier
When the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) began, the entire region was ruled by the Xiongnu, a powerful nomadic people that ruled the territory from western Manchuria to the Pamirs and covered most of Siberia and Mongolia. During the 2nd century BC, Han China sent Zhang Qian, an imperial envoy, to the states in the region. They tried to rule the nomads by offering princesses, gold, and silk, but Xiongnu raids continued. Zhang Qian's visit began several decades of conflict between the Xiongnu and Han China over the dominance of the region. Xiongnu formed a confederation under a ruler known as Chanyu, and the great wall was built by the Hans to hold of attacks from the Xiongnu, attacks were slowed but still continued. Han China sent several expeditions into Central Asia and gained control about 112 B.C. The dependent states of the Hans later rebelled during the rule of Wang Mang, a Han Dynasty official who seized the throne from the Liu family and founded the Xin Dynasty, and the region fell under Xiongnu rule again. Over the next century, Han China sent several expeditions into the region and re-established the empire. After the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 AD, the Wei Dynasty maintained the territory until 265 AD, and by the Western Jin Dynasty from 265 AD onward.The Gupta Empire (320 to 550 CE) in India was one of the world's great classical civilizations, who at its hight contained much of northern India. The empire was marked by amazing advances in arts, literature and sciences. The Gupta Empire faced constant threats of invasion from the north. Among the most troublesome of the invaders were the White Huns, who were an agricultural people with a district set of laws, who have been described as short, of Mongolian appearance and white skinned. Although it is not known wether or not they were truly related to other Hun groups. The White Huns began pouring down from the steppes of Central Asia and in 470 they attacked the center of the civilization and overthrew the Gupta Empire. White Hun rulers were seen as terrible tyrants. Though they continued ruling until 528, they were finally driven out by a Hindu coalition of princes of Gupta origin. The Guptas were greatly affected by this invasion, and declined over the next decades. While the White Huns were in India they did affect society such as that they altered the caste system and disrupted the hierarchy of ruling families.
Romans viewed themselves as "civilized" and anyone outside of their borders as "barbarians." The tribes to the north of the Rhine and Danube rivers provided the greatest threats and much of the Roman military resources were used in their defense against them. Romans wanted peace with the Barbarians, they protected them while pushing then to limit their warfare. But there were still very many battles and wars between the Romans and their barbarian neighbors.Trade with these peoples was evident, especially with the Celtic people. These barbaric people outside of Rome's borders were ruled by elite families, and it has been said that they would at times go to Caesar to ask for help in how to rule. Elite families would even at times receive Roman support. But the Romans did conquer many areas around their borders to make their territory larger and improve trade routes to the Mediterranean.
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/india/f/Why-Did-the-Gupta-Empire-in-India-Collapse.htm
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_levack_wc_1/43/11051/2829157.cw/index.html
http://www.afghanchamber.com/history/White_Huns.htm
http://www.fsmitha.com/review/r-burns.htm
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~aycui/xiongnu.htm
CARLA VIESCA
The Great Classical Cities
Persepolis: This city was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire in present day Iran. It was founded in by Darius I in 518 B.C. There is proof of Darius being the founder after the discovery of an inscription on the southern terrace face. This city was built on a huge artificial/natural terrace. There are two great stair cases leading up to it. The king of kings could create a Mesopotamian based palace complex here. There was a lot of work building as for it had to be carved out a mountainside with irregular shapes and lots of filling in had to be done. It contained many “gigantic winged bulls” large halls, gate ways and many enormous columns. Alexander the great burned down the city in 330 and it is said that its reassure had to be carried out from 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels. Persepolis functioned as the seat of governmen
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/114
Chang’an: Chang’an was viewed as the one of the greatest capitals of china due to its centralized location. It became a center for Buddhist learning. According to Richard B Matherford it was the most populous cosmopolitan and civilized city in the world. It took up about 84 square kilometers with 1 million inhabitants. It was a major religious center. It had over 300 Buddhist temples, and some examples of buildings include the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Further north is the famous terracotta warriors. This is the city where Qin Shi Huang Di held his imperial court. The city has a 26 kilometer long wall surrounding the city
Paliputra: is an ancient city found in India which served as capitals through Muaryan to the Gupta dynasties. It’s located at the convergences of the Ganges, Son and Gandhaka rivers. Most of the city today is underneath modern Patna but its construction was mainly wooden. It was shaped as a parallelogram 9 miles long 1.5 miles wide. 64 gates lined the wooden wall surrounding the city. These walls were said to be converted to stone in Ashokas time. It is said that Buddha himself walked through Paliputra. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. IN the third century it is said to have 150000-300000 inhabitants. Many Indian temples are located here and one can visit the banks of the Gupta River. Patan Devi is located here and is one of the oldest buildings in Patna ( Paliputra). http://www.biharheritagewalk.com/patna
Athens: Athens was the great Capital of Greece. Mostly recognized by its Parthenon atop the acropolis, it was the site of great amounts of history. It contained the largest navy, democracy and beautiful architecture. The temples of Poseidon and Hephaestus still remain though in ruins. Athens was said to be ruled by kings until democracy arose. in Athens was first settled atop the acropolis making for a very defendable spot overlooking the plains. Total amount of people including citizen’s non citizens and slaves was estimated 300000-500000. The cities trade center traded wine pottery metals olive products and grains.
http://www.ancient.eu.com/Athens/
Carthage: Carthage is located in modern day Tunisia along the coast of the Mediterranean in North Africa. The city had 23 miles of walls on the shore making sea invasion very difficult. In the middle of the city stood the Byrsa or citadel and Carthage also contained an immense necropolis. This allowed them to control a lot of the trade. Carthage was the capital of obviously the Carthaginians who constantly fought with the Romans. After conquer by the Romans its populations peaked at 500000-750000. They traded African gold and salts for all the products available in the Mediterranean.
http://www.ancient.eu.com/carthage/
Rome: Rome was the capital city of the Roman Empire and now Italy. It was the center of Christianity including St, Peter basilica and the Vatican City. Rome also included the coliseum and Fontana de Trevi. Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill. Rome hugs the Tiber River and was walled to prevent invasions. Rome was split into 14 districts. During its height it contained about 1 million inhabitants. Rome was ruled by an emperor after its republic period. Rome conquered the lands of the Mediterranean coast. Rome was Trade center as for it was the capital of the Mediterranean.
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome
Alexandria: Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in what is now Egypt. It was meant to be the link between Greece and the Nile River. The city was divided up into three quarters. The Rhakotis was the Egypt section, Brucheum the Greek and Jewish portion which was the north of the city. After 1 A.D. the population is estimated at 500000-1000000 including slaves and citizens. Principal structures include the Temple of Taposiris Magna, Pompeii’s Pillar and The Great theatre.
http://www.ancient.eu.com/alexandria/
Constantinople: Constantinople is located in present day turkey. It served as the capital for Rome and the Ottoman Empire. Its original name comes from Roman Emperor Constantine the great but was later changed to Byzantium. It populations varied greatly but from Justinian the First reign Constantinople’s population reached 500000 people. Constantinople was walled with Theodosian walls. The great Hagia Sophia is located here along with many other temples churches and sites.
http://www.ancient.eu.com/Constantinople/
Teotihuacan: Teotihuacan is located north of Mexico City and was a pre Columbian Meso-American city. It contained many great pyramids like the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Its populations were said to 125000, the largest city in the new world. It was a center of industry for crafters and jewelers. Teotihuacan was administered through priests and Rulers. The archeological site is more about 83 square miles big.
The Great Cities created by Daniel Flores
E) PERSIAN EMPIRES
Achaemenid Empire:
The Achaemenid Empire(c. 550–330 BCE), also known as the Persian Empire, was the largest empire in ancient times. Under the rule of Cyrus the Great, it spanned over the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe and included much of what is now Iran,Afghanistan,Pakistan, parts ofCentral Asia,Turkey, much of theBlack Sea coastal regions,Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,Israel,Lebanon,Syria, Egypt and as far west asLibya. They were considered to be enemies of the Greek during the time of the Greco-Persian Wars. The empire was ruled by an Emperor and bureaucratic organization that was very centralized. The empire also had a very large army. The style of ruling was later mimicked by later civilizations. This empire fell with the invasion of Alexander III of Macedon and separated into several smaller empires such as the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Seleucid Empire.
(Golden plate from the Achaemenid Empire)
Parthian Empire:
After Alexander of Macedon’s death, his successor, Seleucus I established the Seleucid dynasty. While the Seleucids faced Alexander of Macedon’s successors, a seminomadic group of people, the Parni, began to move and invade land.When they reached the edge of the Seleucid empire in the distric of Parthia, they launched an invasion leaded by Arsaces. They became known as the Parthians after they succeeded in this conquest and they instituted a dynastic era in 247 B.C. Rulers took the name of Arsaces as a royal title. The Parthians grew into the dominant power in the Near East through series of wars against the Seleucids, Romans, and the Greco-Bactrian. They established the city of Ctesiphon, near the Tigris river. The Parinthian kingdom lasted almost half a millennium until they were overthrown by Sasanian armies from southwest Iran in the early third century A.D.
(Remains of the Parthian Empire)
Sassanid Empire:
The Sassanid empire consisted of mostly the same territory as that of the Achaenemids and kept the original capital of Ctesiphon. The Sassanids were known for a centralized government, technological and agricultural innovations, and the effort to bring Iranian culture back while surpressing Greek culture. Sassanid rulers were known as shahanshah, meaning king of kings. Under the shahanshah, people were divided into a rigid social system divided into four lower clasess- religious rulers, warriors secretaries, and common people.
The royal princes, petty rulers, great landlords, and priests together constituted a privileged stratum, and the social system appears to have been fairly rigid.Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the empire and it helped reinforce the social system and the governmental system.
(A rock relief at Naqsh-e Rostam, depicting the triumph of
Shapur I over the Roman Emperor Valerian, and Philip the Arabian.)
REGIONS WHERE RULERS CREATED ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS
China:
When the Han Dynasty arose, it kept the Qin dynasty’s administrative structure, but wasn’t as centralized. Civil service examinations were established as a means of training and teaching scholars how to work in the bureaucratic administrative institutions. Intellectual, literary, and artisti
c innovations flourished and were revived. Technological advances such as paper and porcelain made China an important party to trade with during this time period. The Han dynasty was more ethnically united. Part of this was because of the strong influence of the centralized state, even though the government never directly controlled the villages. The average commonor was illiterate and was ignorant of details of how the state was run, but was aware of belonging to a whole, large community to which he was important. People from every social class were able to identify themselves as being Han and with the impressive history that came along with being Han. Pea
http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/China1.htmlsants saw the emperor and administrative bureaucracy as being the normal way of ruling. Scholar and officials were highly respected, and everyone had a chance of passing the civil service examination and becoming an official, although higher class students had a greater chance.
(Civil Service Examinations)
Persia:
Under the Rule of Darius (521-486 BCE) the Persian Empire was extended to the east and west. He centralized his administration and built a new capital in Persepolis. Darius became an important administrator which became increasingly difficult due to far apart empires and various different languages spoken throughout the vast land. Historians view Darius as more of an important administrator than conqueror because administrating a large empire was much more difficult than conquering it. Persian rulers estsablished lines of communication and designed organizations that would make it less difficult for them to tax their people and administer territories. The government depended on balance between central initiative and local administration. Darius divided his land into twenty three districts governed by sstraps. The Persian pioneered techniques that outlasted their dynasty and empire and influenced other empires around the world.
(Stone Carving found in Persia)
Rome:
omans administrated their empire by splitting it up into various provinces. Romas left local self administration to the Greeks, although the
approval of Roman official was required in every decision made by the Greek administrative institute. In Greek speaking regions of the Roman Empire, the institutions were based on historical traditions of those places. Romans did change of the aspects of administration and government of the Greeks, but never tried to get rid of their way of governing completely. In Athens, the agora continued to be the centre of c
ivic and political life. The different Greek institutions continued to function and later provided cultural basis for the Byzantium Empire.
(Coin from the Roman Empire)
South Asia:
King Ashoka strengthened the administrative system and established the structural foundation that is still used in South Asia administration. Ashoka divide the original administrative divisions into districts and regions. These districts were further subdivided several times until they reached the village subdivision. There were different classifications in workers of the administrative institution to perform administrative work. South Asia became more and more decentralized as time went on, especially under Gupta rule, when almost all governmental institutions were ended. When the Mughal Empire took over most of South Asia, a very centralized government highly
dependent of its military came along with them. This was very different for the usually decentralized subcontinent. The rulers of
the Mughal Empire were thought to be direct decendants of Chinggis Khan, so most of his legacies were carried on in this Empire. It is
thought that some of the administrative institutions that are in use today in South Asia come from the Mughal way of governing. Mughal administration revolved around the monarch.The administrative structure of this period was mostly made by Emperor Akhbar. He combined the military and civil services of the Empire.
(South Asian coins)
Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. "The Parthian Empire (247 B.C.–224 A.D.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/part/hd_part.htm (October 2000)
"History of Iran." Iran Chamber Society. Iran Chamber Society. Web. 8 Feb 2014. <http://www.iranchamber.com/about_us/about_us.php>.
N.d. Photograph. Iran Chamber SocietyWeb. 8 Feb 2014.
http://quizlet.com/3082787/the-empires-of-persia-flash-cards/
http://www.fhw.gr/chronos/07/en/politics/index40.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=Pc4nAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT20&lpg=PT20&dq=administrative+institutions+in+ancient+south+asia&source=bl&ots=DQchQIKbhw&sig=02vhwTBrQRj-UE_CD3FlbkmXKu4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tNH2UuqSGsrXyAHf24E4&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=administrative%20institutions%20in%20ancient%20south%20asia&f=false
CRISTINA CARREON
Methods to produce food and reward elites for their royalty:
Corvee: unpaid labor that was controlled by a king or someone in charge of the system of labor. This included work on the lord's portion of manorial property (tillage of certain lands) and many attendant duties. Military service was also a part of the corvee. During the feudalization of the late Roman Empire, the corvee system was part of the social and economic system, but towns were able to free themselves by money payment instead of services.
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/corvee.html#ixzz2ssHr3dD4
Slavery: People were traded and forced to work. Most slaves helped with the production of crops and they were one of the contributors of food production.
Peasant Communities: There were many peasant villages on being the village of Taitu. This village had many independent slaves. The land they lived on was privately owned and the families would live there.
http://www.slideshare.net/PaulVMcDowell/taitou-a-chinese-peasant-community-presentation-804071
Veronica Bailey